Long Beach police arrest off duty NYPD officer for allegedly shooting gun into the Ocean

Long Beach police arrested an off-duty NYPD officer, who was on restricted status and therefore not authorized to possess or carry a firearm, for allegedly firing his gun into the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday.

According to the LBPD, on March 21 at 6:50 a.m. officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Ocean Beach Park and Franklin Boulevard. On arrival, officers saw a group of four people walking off the beach near Franklin Boulevard. Police say that based on a subsequent investigation, the off-duty officer, identified as David Afamador, 39, of Long Beach, was in possession of a loaded pistol, three loaded high capacity magazines and fired shots into the ocean.

Afamador then passed the gun over to Jennifer Sonnick, 36, police said, who then shot into the ocean as well.

Afamdor was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prohibited use of a weapon and possession of alcohol on Ocean Beach Park. Sonnick was arrested and charged with one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and prohibited use of a weapon.

Both defendants are expected to be arraigned on March 22.

The NYPD veteran was also arrested in June 2020 after he was caught-on-video on the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk, holding 35-year-old Ricky Bellevue to the ground, after Bellevue and two other men taunted cops on the Boardwalk for about 10 minutes. He was charged with attempted strangulation and strangulation for using an illegal chokehold.